Yirmeyah 41:10

10 Then Yishmael carried away captive all the she’erit of the people that were in Mitzpah, even the banot hamelech, and kol HaAm that remained in Mitzpah, whom Nevuzaradan the captain of the imperial guard had committed to Gedalyah ben Achikam; and Yishmael ben Netanyah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Bnei Ammon.

Yirmeyah 41:10 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 41:10

Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the
people that [were] in Mizpah
All that were not slain by him, that remained after the slaughter he had made, chiefly the unarmed people; they being men of war who fell by his sword: [even] the king's daughters;
whether they were the daughters of Zedekiah, Jehoiakim, or Jehoiakim, says Kimchi, we know not; but it is most likely that they were the daughters of Zedekiah the last king, and who was just taken and carried captive; and so Josephus ^F14 expressly calls them; these the king of Babylon regarded not, because they could neither fight, nor claim the kingdom; only the sons of the king, whom he slew before his eyes; though it may be these were not his daughters by his lawful wife, but by his concubines, and so were not properly of the royal family, and less regarded: and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the
captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam;
that were not slain, or carried captive by the Chaldeans; but were left at Mizpah, under the care and government of Gedaliah: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive:
so that those who escaped one captivity fell into another, and even by the hand of one of their own countrymen: and departed to go over to the Ammonites;
he went from Mizpah with these captives, in order to carry them to the king of Ammon, and make them his slaves; who had put him upon this enterprise out of hatred to the Jews, and to enrich himself with their spoils. Some render it, "to go over with the Ammonites" ^F15; which they suppose the ten men to be that came along with him and the princes, to commit the barbarities they did.

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 10. c. 9. sect. 4.)
F15 (Nwma ynb la) "cum filiis Ammon", Schmidt.

Yirmeyah 41:10 In-Context

8 But ten anashim were found among them that said unto Yishmael, Slay us not, for we have hidden in the sadeh, chittim, se’orim, shemen, devash. So he forbore, killed them not among the others.

9 Now the cistern wherein Yishmael had cast all the pigrei ha’anashim (dead bodies of the men), whom he had slain because of Gedalyah, was the same cistern which Asa HaMelech had made for defense against Ba’asha Melech Yisroel: and Yishmael ben Netanyah filled it with them that were slain.

10 Then Yishmael carried away captive all the she’erit of the people that were in Mitzpah, even the banot hamelech, and kol HaAm that remained in Mitzpah, whom Nevuzaradan the captain of the imperial guard had committed to Gedalyah ben Achikam; and Yishmael ben Netanyah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Bnei Ammon.

11 When Yochanan ben Kareach with all the officers of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil Yishmael ben Netanyah had done,

12 Then they took kol ha’anashim, and went to fight with Yishmael ben Netanyah, and found him by the mayim rabbim that are in Giveon.